A private funeral has been held for Jill Meagher, the Irish woman whose disappearance and murder has horrified Australia.

The 29-year-old's funeral took place in Melbourne, the city where she vanished. Family and close friends attended, alongside some of the detectives who worked on the murder investigation.

Ms Meagher moved to Australia from Ireland with her husband three years ago. She worked for state broadcaster ABC and went missing in the early hours of September 22 after a night out with friends.

She had been walking the short distance home to the flat she shared with her husband Tom. Her body was found five days later in a shallow grave in a rural area about 31 miles from the city.

Adrian Bayley, 41, has been charged with her rape and murder.

Jill's mother Edith McKeon spoke at the service saying: "The light she brought to us almost 30 years ago will shine on us forever."

Image Caption:Jill Meagher trying on her wedding dress

Twenty-nine doves were released, while mourners were given white ribbons and wristbands to promote a foundation that fights violence against women.

Local media reported Ms Meagher's ashes will be taken to the Western Australian city of Perth where some of her family live.

Video:Oz: March In Honour Of Jill Meagher

Ms Meagher's death hit a nerve in Australia with tens of thousands of people joining a march on September 30 through the suburb where she was last seen alive, in a peaceful demonstration against violence.

Floral tributes have also piled up outside the bridal boutique where surveillance cameras captured her last known images. She had been speaking to a man in a blue hooded top who police allege is her killer.

Last Thursday, the family thanked the public for their support, saying: "We cannot begin to convey the overwhelming feelings of grief, sadness and sorrow at the loss of our beloved Jill."

Residents in her hometown of Drogheda, Ireland, will celebrate her life at a mass on Friday.